Communication terminals in a network or other system may transmit and receive optical signals through free space optical links. The optical signals are often sent as data frames. Reliable transmission and receipt of the data frames is necessary for the system to operate properly. Unfortunately, such frames may be lost or damaged in route due to a variety of reasons. One technique to address this problem is to encode the data with an error correction code (ECC) prior to transmission to enable correction of errors in transmission. Another technique is known as automatic repeat request (ARQ), in which the receiver device requests that the transmitter device resend a data frame that was received with an error. However, the free space optical environment is very demanding, and thus advanced techniques may be needed to ensure a reliable data transmission rate without unnecessary retransmissions of data frames.